Branford Boase Longlist

January 28, 2015January 27, 2015 | Tasha

The longlist for the Branford Boase award has been announced. The British award was started 15 years ago and is awarded to the author of an outstanding debut book and their editor. The shortlist for the award will be announced on May 4th with the winner to be announced in July. Here are the title in the longlist:

Archie Greene and the Magician’s Secret by DD Everest

Bone Jack by Sara Crowe

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

Broken Strings by Maria Farrer

City of Halves by Lucy Inglis

Cowgirl by Giancarlo Gemin

Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott

The Dark Inside by Rupert Wallis

The Executioner’s Daughter by Jane Hardstaff

Half Bad by Sally Green

Leopold Blue by Rosie Rowell

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall

A Room Full of Chocolate by Jane Elson

Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall

Trouble by Non Pratt

True Fire by Gary Meehan

Valentine Joe by Rebecca Stevens

The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss

2015 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 | Tasha

The National Council of Teachers of English have announced the 2015 winner, honor books and recommended books for the Orbis Pictus Award. The award was created in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in writing of children’s nonfiction.

2015 Winner

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

Honor Books

A Home for Mr. Emerson by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis, illustrated by Gilbert Ford

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson

Recommended Books

Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cats by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop

Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World by Steve Jenkins

The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield

Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands by Katherine Roy

The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

The Streak: How Joe DiMaggio Became America’s Hero by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Terry Widener

Strike!: The Farm Worker’s Fight for Their Rights by Larry Dane Brimner

2015 NCTE Charlotte Huck Book Award

January 27, 2015January 27, 2015 | Tasha

The National Council of Teachers of English has announced the winners, honor books and recommended titles for the Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children. This award was established in 2014 and promotes and recognizes excellence in writing. “This award recognizes fiction that has the potential to transform children’s lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder.”

2015 Charlotte Huck Award Winner

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Honor Books

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

El Deafo by Cece Bell

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

Revolution by Deborah Wiles

Recommended Titles

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Draw by Raul Colon

The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Otis and the Scarecrow by Loren Long

The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer

The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye

Edgar Award Nominees

January 23, 2015January 22, 2015 | Tasha

The nominees for the 2015 Edgar Awards have been announced. The awards are presented by the Mystery Writers of America and celebrate the best in the mystery genre. Here are the nominees for books for youth:

BEST JUVENILE

Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

Eddie Red, Undercover: Mystery on Museum Mile by Marcia Wells

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Nick and Tesla’s Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Saving Kabul Corner by N. H. Senzai

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs

BEST YOUNG ADULT

The Art of Secrets by James Klise

The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi

Fake ID by Lamar Giles

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano

The Prince of Venice Beach by Blake Nelson

2015 Sydney Taylor Book Awards

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 | Tasha

The winners of the 2015 Sydney Taylor Book Awards have been announced by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Here are the winners:

YOUNGER READERS

My Grandfather’s Coat by Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock

OLDER READERS

Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Mac Lizano and Greg Salsedo

TEEN

Storm by Donna Jo Napoli

Blue Ribbons from The Bulletin

January 19, 2015January 19, 2015 | Tasha

The Bulletin of the
Center for

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books announced their picks for the best of 2014 for literature for youth. They mention that poetry is the big story of 2014 and I certainly agree. What a year!

You can also head to their Stellar Series of 2014 list that offers the best in series books for children and teens. The list includes both completed and ongoing series that they reviewed in 2014.

Both lists are definitely worth checking out and are filled with great reads.

2014 Costa Children’s Book Award Winner

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015 | Tasha

The winner of the 2014 Costa Children’s Book Award is Kate Saunders for Five Children on the Western Front, a sequel to E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It. The Costa Award is given to an outstanding children’s book written by authors based in the UK and Ireland.

More Best Book Lists

December 12, 2014December 12, 2014 | Tasha

This time of year is filled with best book lists. Here are some more that I haven’t mentioned yet:

Chicago Public Library’s librarians have published their list of the best books of 2014. They offer lists of picture books, fiction for younger readers, informational books for younger readers, fiction for older readers, informational books for older readers, teen fiction, teen nonfiction and graphic novels. There’s plenty to explore here!

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has announced the finalists for the 2015 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Children’s Science Books and the 2015 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Young Adults. There are twelve finalists on the children’s list which includes both traditional science books and ones with a hands-on focus. The young adult finalist list includes four titles.

NPR’s Book Concierge has their guide to 2014’s Great Reads. You can browse categories like Kids’ Books and Young Adult among others. I do enjoy that you can combine categories, so you can see books for teens that are fantasy or science fiction.

2015 Morris Award Finalists

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 | Tasha

YALSA has announced their picks for the finalists for the 2015 Morris Award. The award is given to the year’s best books written for teens by a debut author. Here are the five finalists: